For the new IKS|Lab we captured our first 360° videos with spatial sound. We got the great opportunity to join the Aachen Symphony Orchestra during different rehearsals and concerts to record professional orchestral music.

At IKS, we contribute to the research in Spatial Audio Processing. The term refers to the processing of multiple signals which are a representation of observations of a sound field. It comprises the sampling of the field, the mathematical signal representation, the analysis, modification and synthesis of signals, and perceptual aspects of aural localization.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is based on the principle of anti-phase compensation. A cancellation signal is emitted, which superposes and cancels out existing noise. The cancellation signal is created by filtering a reference signal with a filter. This filter is either adjusted online by an adaptive algorithm or optimized in advance by methods of control theory. We are specifically working on the application of ANC for headphones and hearing aids.

Stereo to multi-channel upmix is a technique used to adapt stereo audio signals to playback setups with multiple speakers. Modern approaches make use of dynamic signal decomposition in direct and diffuse parts and spatial rendering methods.

New concepts in Spatial Audio Acquisition and Processing require new concepts for the representation and data efficient transmission of spatial audio. Channel-based formats such as 5.1 are not suited for a flexible adaptation to various playback setups. Therefore, concepts such as Spatial Audio Object Coding (SAOC) and Higher Order Ambisonic (HOA) are needed for modern audio codecs such as MPEG-H 3D Audio.